“(Mumble mumble, mutter mutter.)” I murmured.
“What was that?”
“(Mutter mutter, fidget shift sigh murmur whisper whisper.)” I mumbled.
“Never mind,” Thomas sighed. “I give up. You’re just so hard to work with sometimes!”
And so we walked on, murmuring and fidgeting and sighing and muttering and mumbling and whispering.
* * * * * * * * After what I predicted to be about thirty minutes, we walked down a narrow hallway to The Spaceship Café. Soon, though, I finally looked up, trying to do some eye relaxation exercises. That was when I noticed the lights. Something was wrong...
Suddenly, I deduced that one of the lights had a differently colored shine than the others!
Thomas steadily followed my gaze. When he saw what I had seen, his eyes bulged and he jumped.
“That’s...that’s...that’s...” Thomas stammered.
“What? What is it?!” I groaned, frustrated.
“GET OUT YOUR GUN! IT’S A SPY DROID CLEVERLY DISGUISED AS A LAMP!!!!”
But I had already decoded what he meant. I whipped out my blaster and fired a shot at the strange looking lights. All of a sudden, the lamp shot from the ceiling and headed out the door. Thomas was telling the truth.
“AFTER IT!” I shouted.
We ran through the narrow corridor and headed after the spy droid. “DIE! DIE, YOU CURSED PIECE OF JUNK! YEAH, THAT’S RIGHT! GO AHEAD AND RUN, YOU (cussword.)” I screamed as I fired shot after shot at the spy droid. (Thankfully, since I had a laser blaster, I had unlimited ammo.)
Thomas’s face turned pale. “Do you REALLY have to say that out loud in public?!”
I turned a deep shade of red as we ran. Luckily, Thomas and Tobor were to busy running to see my face.
Eventually, the android led us farther away from the marketplace, but closer to a tunnel leading to a small of somewhat thick forest filled with dozens of wildlife and trillions of insects and birds I had never seen.
“Which wa...way...di...did he g...g...go?” I panted, exhausted from the running.
“That way,” pointed Thomas, and started walking. No, Thomas and I (Tobor could not be tired because he was a robot) did not walk. Rather, we limped and stumbled and tripped and sighed and panted and coughed and wheezed and limped.
When Thomas and I were completed our journey and finally stopped limping and stumbling and tripping and sighing and panting and coughing and wheezing and limping, we looked up. All we saw were dozens of rows of unending trees with trunks as thick as elephants, and millions of bushes and shrubs and a variety of plants and animals I had never seen.
“Hey, wait a second!” exclaimed Thomas. “There’s some steel here! Oh my god! I swear it’s the entrance to a building! I’ll try to tear it apart with my blaster while you try to”
“Or...we could just go through the front door.” I said.
“Oh right. I knew that.”
And so we entered through the front door.
The building appeared to be a secret hideout that was obviously built a long time ago, but was neatly polished.
“I’ll bet somebody’s here right now,” Thomas muttered.
Thomas was right. BOOM! Lightning flashed. A voice emanated from somewhere...
“I AM THE GUARDIAN OF GAVIN MANOR. YOU WERE WORTHY ENOUGH TO ENTER.” BOOM! Another flash of light.
“I THEREBY SUMMON THE POWER OF GRACIO. MIND CRUSH!” All of a sudden, we were thrown back by an invisible force. CRACK! BOOM! And suddenly the guardian of Gavin Manor appeared. It was an old fashioned System Defensive Robot, which first appeared in the Lithonean Age, more than a hundred Earth years ago.
“H-h-how did—” I stuttered.
“Mind crush crushes your mind, bending it in a way so that the victim can see the user.” whispered Thomas nervously. His face was as white as a sheet of paper and his breath was as hot as Halley’s Comet.
“NOW IT IS TIME TO PROVE YOUR SKILL.”
“NOW, YOU TRESPASSERS WILL PAY THE PRICE.”
CRACK! RUMBLE! RUMBLE! BOOM!
And so they began to duel. The guardian had two I-33 4Elements tentacles, which could shoot out water, wind, rock (Earth), or fire. The robot mostly fired at Tobor, who was quickly forced to hide beneath a heavy metal girder, where the guardian could not hit him.
Thomas and I countered his attacks and swiftly moved across the thick metal floor. We tried our hardest, but we could not land a single hit from our countless attacks on the robot.
This went on for quite a while. By that time, Thomas and I were quite tired, and our attacks had become heavy but wild.
I landed a lucky blow on the guardian’s left leg, which fell off. As the android uttered a cry of pure surprise, Thomas shot off its right leg while it was still distracted. However, to our great shock, the automaton immediately lifted off the ground! ,which fell off.
Although I didn’t see them, the robot must have had concealed 369 Jooy Rocket Launchers, the only kind of jetpack in Dimension #3, which I learned later.
But now the guardian was vulnerable. Tobor got out from his hiding place and tried to shoot the automaton, but Tobor’s attacks completely missed the robot. It seemed that the guard knew when and where all of Tobor’s attacks were going to hit.
It seemed that this battle with the Lithonean robot would last forever, but Thomas finally landed a lucky shot on the robot’s right arm. As the robot cringed, I jumped and knocked the robot’s already weakened right arm off. It exploded with a bang, and the android groaned, but only for a moment. I used this opportunity to annihilate the automaton’s left arm. It fell to the ground with a THUD. The robot screamed. It seemed absolutely irate and downright furious. It swiftly picked what was left of itself and whooshed from the room into a high-tech compartment that came out of nowhere. The android disappeared into the chamber. We heard a loud whirring, and then the chamber left the room.
Chapter Sevnen
The Lithonean android had served its purpose. However, this was not over. As soon as the robot fled from the room, a previously invisible door opened.
“YOU MAY ENTER,” a robotic, melancholy voice announced.
We did as we were told as soon as we made sure that we could not leave. The door leading to the dense forest could not be seen. Therefore, we could not depart, and so we proceeded.
The doorway led into a narrow passage, and this led to a vast room. It was identical to the room in which we fought The Lithonean, which hinted that this served as a battleground, or so I thought.
I was right. Soon, Thomas took out his gun, just in case. I took out my sword too. Tobor waved his club.
Eventually, we heard a voice.
“And so it begins.”
The voice was high and screechy, but came from nowhere.
“You have defeated, not destroyed, but defeated my android bodyguard. In doing so, you must face me, The Lithonean’s master. I am Gavin IV.”
And Gavin IV appeared. He came suddenly, like a bolt of lightning. But unlike a bolt of lightning, which comes from a cloud, Gavin came out of nowhere. He wore a dark robe and mask with a slash over one cheek, with a somewhat broad grin on his face. He whipped out a pair of Electrostatic 360 Attack Claws, a bit like Tobor’s, only Tobor’s Attack Claw was single, and shot fire out instead of water.
“And now, you die.”
A streak of water came from Gavin’s claws, intended to strike Tobor, who was forced to hide behind another metal girder that seemed to be placed for that reason. Since Tobor’s weapon required standing up to use, Tobor would not be able to stand up without being blasted. Therefore, Tobor was, once again, unable to attack.
“Ah, what will happen when I kill you? Will you run home like the foolish cowards you are? Will you, or will have died before that would have happened, eh? Which shall it be? Death or fleeing?” Gavin taunted. “I shall blast you to bits, mortal children! You will not defeat General Gavin the IV! The ver
y thought is impossible! Why, the idea itself is unthinka—”
For just one millisecond, General Gavin the IV raised his arms but lowered his defense. I saw this, and then I knew that this was my only chance. And so I threw my sword with all my strength. Gavin gave a huge round of laughter just as my sword plunged down into his chest. The evil man’s eyes bulged, and then he fell, and everyone cheered and laughed and Thomas and Tobor lifted me upon my shoulders.
Gavin IV was dead, and the first part of our mission was accomplished. And so we heard a rumble, then a metallic voice from a loudspeaker: GAVIN IV IS DEAD. INITIATE EMERGENCY SELF-DESTRUCT SEQUENCE IN TEN...NINE...
We stared in terror, petrified. We wouldn’t be able to go through the passageway down through the first door and out into the woods in time.
“..EIGHT...SEVEN...SIX...FIVE...FOUR...THREE...TWO...ONE...INITIATE SELF-DESTRUCT.”
CRASH! All around us, Gavin Manor disintegrated, but we were not touched. Immediately, we ran out through the forest until we got to The Marketplace.
“That was CLOSE!” I panted. “So, what do we need to do right now?”
Tobor automatically pulled out a map from a pocket on his shirt. “I have a map. We must follow it.”
And so we did. The map showed a view of Dimension #3 from a bird’s eye view. Since we had gone through Gavin Manor, it seemed that our next destination was The Forest of Death, which was right above The Marketplace.
We went through a tunnel leading to Death Forest. Without directions, it would have taken a long time to get through The Forest of Death. However, Tobor said he knew a friend. He shot a blast of light into Death Forest, and almost immediately, a figure leapt out of the darkness. He had long blonde hair that sagged over his shoulders, and twin Samurai swords. He wore a thin hunting suit, and had a kind look on his face.
“Ah, B”
“Ahem.”
“Oh, yes. Hello, Tobor! Long time, no see.” said the mysterious figure, who introduced himself as Dastard. “And who might you be?” he asked with a suspicious glance at me and Thomas.
“Ah, Dastard! Let me explain!” said Tobor.
The two went into some nearby bushes and talked in hushed tones, so that they were nearly inaudible. When they finished talking, Dastard smiled. “Come, my friends. I am a tour guide here, and I will show you through Death Forest, and I might also take you through Mount Death.”
“What’s Mo”
“A-ba-ba-ba.” He put a grimy finger over my mouth. “You’ll find out later.”
So we traveled through a shortcut around Death Forest together, and finally we reached the end. “Uh, guys?” I asked. “Why can’t we just use our ships?”
Tobor speedily replied, “Because we wouldn’t know where to land, and you might accidently land in hostile territory. And in fact, I think that we should listen to Dastard. He is a clever man, with quite an attitude. I know him well. We must listen to him.”
“Hmm, I suppose you’re right.” I said politely. “Let’s keep moving.”
“Moving? Oh, Edward, we’re not going to be moving yet. I must tell you which fork leads to Mount Death, which leads to Final Destination. Hmm, let’s see here...” Dastard wrinkled his brow. After a time, he snapped his fingers. “I’ve got it! We’ve got to go that path to go to Mt. Death. Oh silly me, I should have thought of this earlier.” Dastard apologized.
And so we headed on down the path. When we reached the end, Dastard said, “This is the last path leading to Mt. Death. Come with me.”
I looked up. Dark clouds swirled over Mt. Death, and lightning and thunder rang out on a vast field, where monsters and creatures of all sorts roamed. There were small green specimens covered with armor. They had razor sharp claws, but the important thing was that they were mutants. In fact, even the smallest monsters were bigger than me.
In addition to the green creatures, huge black ugly things with light armor and strangely majestic wings flew across the skies of Mt. Death, screeching to strike terror into the hearts of those who dared to oppose them. There was also a creature that was about the size of the black creatures, only this oddball had a green-colored armor. Instead of wings, this amazing, swooping, dazzling monster had a jetpack. In its arms were two huge shiny white swords.
But I was in such a hurry to get to Final Destination, that I did not notice these things, the hideous creatures that flew the skies, or perhaps the little green runts with radiating armor, or even the delicate light-green monster with the shining, burning double swords until it was too late.
By then, a hideous Lithonean monster came up to us. Its armor was shiny and blazing, as if it had just been rebuilt. It had I-33 4Elements Tentacles and a vicious look at us. It seemed familiar somehow...
“YOU!” The Lithonean screamed.
It was then that I replied, “Yes, us.”
“ARREST THEM!” shrieked the monster.
“Of course, my friend. I assume that I shall have my reward right away...?” asked Dastard slowly.
“YOU SHALL HAVE ANY PRICE YOU WANT, JUST AS LONG AS YOU ARREST THEM!”
Dastard moved with lightning quick speed. In five seconds, he had handcuffed our hands and legs, and brought out a bull whip from his shoulder sack. “Come with me,” he said coldly. He whipped his whip. “I SAID, COME WITH ME, YOU DIMWITS!!” Dastard roared.
We had no choice but to follow them. Meanwhile, (With my charming looks and my absolutely convincing voice), I managed to persuade the Lithonean to hand over some information. It explained that Dastard was a Dart Hunter, one who did certain jobs to earn money. These certain jobs usually involved: trickery, weaponry, violence, and stealing. Being a Dart Hunter was so dangerous, Dastard was extremely lucky to have survived so long.
It also spoke of what had happened to him, although it took a while to convince him to tell us. It turned out that the tiny pod that the Lithonean entered was a portal that led to The Android Factory, a notorious, shady factory that was run by The Mastermind (“The Great One,” as the Lithonean called him) himself. It stood on the far side of the East River, and was very inaccessible. Only The Mastermind and damaged androids could go across safely. It appears that The Mastermind and certain androids had special pods that they could summon. This allowed them to cross the East River, which was a wide, deep river with thrashing waves that pounded you like hammers, the icy cold water that could turn a person’s soul to frost, killing them in the course of 12 1/2 minutes, and the most dangerous of all, the river itself. If you cried a single cry, complained a single complaint, shouted a single shout, the river would devour you, and it would grow even bigger and even more perilous. This was why nobody but The Mastermind and dented androids could cross, and why the subject of it was avoided too.
The Lithonean was eventually given brand new parts and a special thorn on his head that would allow him to attack his enemies with a laser beam. Just as I was about to ask a question about his armor, we arrived at our destination. This was NOT Final Destination.
We were led into the tall building where we were flanked by two heavy guards. “You three fools will be in three separate rooms. You are too dangerous to be kept together. These are orders from The Great One himself.” said one guard, smiling at simply the mention of The Great One.
Once Thomas and I were gone, Tobor was led to his room. “I heard from Supreme General Armanda that Commander Bolt will be meeting The Mastermind today,” said a sentry.
Tobor smiled. He would be getting out of this room, one way or another.
* * * * * * * *
As it turned out, there was a vent that Thomas pried open, and then he entered my room.
“What can we do?” I whispered in despair. If all those guys in Star Wars and Star Trek and all those dramatic movie actors could say these four words, I could too.
“I don’t know.” admitted Thomas. “I really don’t know.”
After a time, Thomas began, “We-e-ell, I could tell you about The Whistoplar. It is a unique
device invented by Edward Whistoplar, earlier this year. The Whistoplar is an invention meant as a transporter. You were supposed to first install a WhistoTeleporter into a certain place. Every good restaurant, shop, or major landmark has a WhistoTeleporter next to it.
“Then, you would get a Whistoplar. There is an electronic keypad. Type where you want to go, and you’re there. It’s purely simple. And also, did you notice those...”
By that time I had dozed off. Gee, Thomas’s speeches could really make one fall asleep.
Chapter Ate
“I am here, Master.”
“GOOD, BOLT! YOU HAVE ARRIVED ON SCHEDULE. SINCE YOU HAVE COURAGEOUSLY LEAD THOSE TWO FOOLS, THOMAS AND EDWARD, OFF OF THEIR TRACKS, YOU DESERVE YOUR NEXT INSTRUCTIONS. YOUR REWARD COMES LAST. NOW, I KNOW THAT EDWARD AND THOMAS ARE BEING HELD IN GAVIN HEADQUARTERS, CORRECT?”
“Of course, Great One.” Bolt said smoothly.
“SINCE THEY ARE THERE, YOU MUST SEND THEM TO COMMANDER VINCENT. HOWEVER, YOU MUST DO SO IN SECRET. OPEN UP YOUR HOLOGRAM V-22 COMMUNICATOR. TELL VINCENT THAT HE MUST HAVE A MEETING WITH THOMAS AND EDWARD.”
“Of course.” Bolt pulled his V-22 out of a pouch on his shirt. He turned it on. “I must speak to Commander Vincent.”
Vincent popped up on the communicator. He was a tall, stern man with a Commander outfit. Vincent also wore a cruel grin. He never had to take it off. “Yes, General Bolt. What assistance do you require? I shall do as you wish.”
“I would favor if you had a meeting with the prisoners.”
“Of course. I shall do this immediately.”
“NO. Only on my command.”
“Yes, my lord. I shall follow your directed instructions. I bid you well.” Commander Vincent bowed, then he disappeared from the hologram.
* * * * * * * *
Soon, Tobor, Thomas, and I were brought from our rooms.
“YOU (cussword) FOOLS! You were stupid enough to wander into Dastard’s trap. You idiots, for some odd reason, are a great threat to The Great One. This is because you managed to DEFEAT, not destroy, The Lithonean, kill Gavin IV personally with your bare hands, and stood up against my rule in your community.”
“Where is Tobor?!” I screamed.